Board of Directors 2021-22
D’Artagnan Scorza ’07, Ph.D. ’13
President
D’Art believes that education can be used as a tool for civic and social empowerment in order to advance justice in communities. Currently serving as the inaugural Executive Director of Racial Equity for Los Angeles County, D’Art’s work has centered on building leaders who fight for equity in communities and schools. He founded and was the Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, and served the Inglewood Unified School District as President of the Board of Education. D’Art serves as a lecturer in the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA, is a UC Regent Emeritus and is the current President of the UCLA Alumni Association. In these roles, he helped pass policies that established veterans’ services centers and prioritized $160 million for student services across UC campuses. He also improved sustainability in Inglewood schools by helping to secure $90 million to support school construction efforts. As a US Navy Iraq War Veteran, D’Art believes that being a responsible leader means setting a strong personal example. Upon returning to his hometown of Inglewood from his tour in Iraq, he was eager to help youth in his community by expanding literacy programs, helping more teens to graduate high school and pursue higher education. D’Art created the Urban Scholars program to help train students to be social justice youth leaders while receiving opportunities for academic support, career pathway guidance, personal growth and college scholarships. Students who complete this program have a 95% graduation rate from high school, and 85% of those are successfully accepted into college. He also wrote and co-authored articles that focused on improving literacy practices for youth of color in urban communities. For his work paving the way in advocacy, policy and philanthropy, he was recognized as one of the 40 Emerging Civic Leaders under 40 in 2018 and he received the UCLA Recent Graduate Achievement Award in 2016. He is an Education Pioneers Fellow and a Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) Fellow, working to end discrimination against people in rural and urban communities by supporting them in their endeavors to start businesses and buy homes. He also serves on the PATHS UP Advisory Board, supporting workforce development for innovative and cost-effective technologies that heal chronic diseases in underserved areas. Connect with D’Artagnan on UCLA ONE.
Ann Wang ’13
President-Elect
Ann Wang is the co-founder and CEO of Enrou, an online story-driven marketplace for the socially conscious consumer to discover one-of-a-kind products created in developing communities around the world. Enrou empowers consumers to reduce global poverty with every purchase and live intentionally every day.As the daughter of a first-generation immigrant and entrepreneur, Wang grew up viewing the world through a distinct lens. While her dad taught her how to negotiate, lead and the importance of being self-sufficient, she always felt a responsibility to make a difference in the lives of others around the world. After initially looking into medicine and traditional nonprofit aid as outlets to make that difference, Wang realized her calling was to start her own business. Set on the idea that social enterprise was the answer to addressing a global need and creating lasting impact, Wang approached her longtime friend and roommate, Jessica Willison ’13, to join her on this journey. Willison’s passion and experience within the consumer retail market coupled with her similar belief in a brighter world made her the perfect fit to establish their social enterprise, now known as Enrou. In 2014, Enrou was awarded Forbes first-ever Pressure Cooker Award held during Forbes’ Under 30 Summit. Wang is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor and currently resides in Los Angeles. Connect with Ann on UCLA ONE.
Ed Lew, J.D. ’98
Secretary
Ed Lew is assistant chief counsel at The Walt Disney Company, where he provides legal support for technology-related transactions and initiatives. He also co-chairs the Disney Lawyers of Color affinity group.Ed has volunteered with several non-profit organizations, including serving as president of the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County, and OCA-Greater Los Angeles. He is a current officer of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum and OCA National and member of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles’ pro bono advisory council. Ed co-chairs the annual Asian Pacific American Community Holiday Toy Drive, which brings together nearly 20 community groups to provide toys to families in need. He also co-chairs a steering committee that organizes a week-long summer institute, in partnership with Just the Beginning, for high school students of color interested in legal careers. Ed graduated from UC Berkeley and received his J.D. degree from the UCLA School of Law. While at UCLA, he was co-chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association and editor-in-chief of the UCLA Asian Pacific American Law Journal. Ed was recognized by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association with its “Best Under 40” award. He also received the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association’s Distinguished Service award, UCLA Alumni Association’s Volunteer of the Year award, UCLA Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association’s Alumnus of the Year award, Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center’s Community Leadership award, and Chinese-American Elected Officials’ Citizen of the Year award.
Martha Saucedo ’96
Treasurer
Martha Saucedo, Chief External Affairs Officer for AEG, has worked in both the public and private sectors developing and implementing large scale political, communications and community engagement strategies. She is responsible for leading AEG’s external affairs division, including corporate communications, public and community affairs, government affairs, and its charitable and philanthropic efforts, which provide funding to nonprofit organizations expanding opportunities for children. Prior to AEG, Martha worked on behalf of Mattel, Inc., managing relationships with local, state and federal elected officials. She also has significant experience in the public sector, having worked for former U.S. House of Representatives member Xavier Becerra. Martha is the past chair of the Central City Association Board of Directors. She is a current member of the Board of Trustees for the California Science Center Foundation and previously served on the board of directors for Friends of the Expo Center and the California Hospital Medical Center Community Advisory Board. She was selected by the Sports Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” award recipient, received the Coro Southern California “Community Builder” award and was a recipient of the UCLA Community Leader Award in 2019. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) honored her with the Deborah Award, presented to women whose professional leadership and civic contributions exemplify the ideals of the ADL. A native of Southern California, Martha received a B.A. in political science from UCLA and is an MBA candidate, Class of 2021, at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Connect with Martha on UCLA ONE.
Araceli Almazan ’04
General Counsel
As Senior Associate at Alvarez-Glassman & Colvin (AGC), Araceli Almazan represents municipal entities and public entity clients in all areas of civil litigation, handling both litigation and transactional matters. She currently serves as Deputy City Attorney for the cities of Commerce, Pico Rivera, Montebello, Lynwood, Huntington Park, Norwalk and Buena Park, and as Special Counsel for the City of Santa Ana. Prior to joining AGC, Araceli represented employers in various areas of employment, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Araceli also worked for a healthcare litigation firm, where she represented major California healthcare providers. Prior to law school, Araceli worked for the California State Senate, the Lieutenant Governor of California and the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Araceli is an American Bar Foundation Fellow and has been actively involved in various trade associations. She has taken on leadership roles with the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the California State Bar, and the American Bar Association. Araceli earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis. She also earned a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in public policy from Columbia University and a second master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in Management from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Araceli is past president of the UCLA Alumni Southeast Network, active with the First Gen Alumni Network, a member of the Chancellor’s Society and also serves as an alumni mentor.
Julie Sina
CEO & Associate Vice Chancellor, Alumni Affairs
Connect with Julie on UCLA ONE.
Lea Howe
Chief Financial Officer
Connect with Lea on UCLA ONE.
Directors
Cathy Choi ’96
Cathy Choi is senior director of programs at The Eisner Foundation, overseeing the planning, strategic development and distribution of $7 million in annual grants. She develops grantee relationships during and after the grant-making process and works to build organizational sustainability among the foundation’s partners, promoting innovative practices and creative solutions to social justice challenges in Los Angeles and beyond. Cathy has more than 20 years of diverse professional experience in philanthropy and the nonprofit and public sectors. Before joining The Eisner Foundation, she was a program officer at the California Community Foundation (CCF), managing a number of special grant programs covering issues such as access to health care, arts education, youth programs and historic preservation. Prior to CCF, she was external affairs director at the Korean American Coalition national headquarters where she led advocacy activities on legislative issues affecting the Asian Pacific American communities, such as census outreach and the redistricting process and also served as a deputy to several local and federal elected officials, including former U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra and Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member George Kiriyama. In addition to her professional experience, Cathy’s volunteer service includes leadership roles with Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Southern California Public Radio, Korean American Coalition, the Democratic National Convention (2000) and The Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, Republic of Korea. Cathy received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA and Master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. During her days at UCLA, Cathy served as Vice President of Undergraduate Business Society (UBS) and an active leader for various campus ministry and community outreach efforts. Cathy is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Connect with Cathy on UCLA ONE.
Vito Costanzo ’84
Vito A. Costanzo is a partner in the litigation section of the Los Angeles office of Holland & Knight. He has experience in the litigation of software and technology licensing disputes, infringement and misappropriation of intellectual property rights, trade secrets, breach of contract claims, real property rights, partnership disputes, wrongful termination, and employment discrimination. Costanzo was formerly employed as a trial attorney by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys’ office. He has conducted both jury and non-jury trials and appeals, and has practiced before federal and state courts in California, federal courts in other states, the American Arbitration Association, and J.A.M.S./Endispute. Costanzo has a B.A. in economics from UCLA and a law degree from Loyola Law School. Costanzo is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Connect with Vito on UCLA ONE.
Harvey Englander '72
A product of Los Angeles Public Schools, including Los Angeles City College and UCLA, Harvey has been a strong advocate for public education throughout his career. Most recently, Harvey spent over 10 years as a member of the Los Angeles City College Alumni Association Board of Trustees where he worked with staff and faculty to increase capacity for accessible educational opportunities that provide academic and vocational excellence for the students of Los Angeles City College, and that enrich the cultural, economic and civic life of Los Angeles. Harvey was an active member of the Foundation’s scholarship committee. Because Harvey believes that student’s lives are enriched inside and outside the classroom, he was a leader in developing an arts program at LACC that included the first ever donations of public art to the college. Harvey also worked to develop the first ever community college housing program for veterans. Harvey worked with the Foundation Board and alumni to gather support for this ground-breaking project which would solve a critical housing problem for veterans while enhancing their educational opportunities. Supported by faculty, staff, students and many elected officials, the community college board of trustees was unfortunately unable to reach consensus on this public-private partnership program. Harvey was honored to be selected to receive LACC’s Alumnus of the Year award in 2019. Harvey was twice recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as being one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles. Harvey is the Founding Partner of Englander Knabe & Allen, the largest independent public affairs agency in Los Angeles. For 22 years, he served as the founding co-chair of the American Diabetes Association Annual Political Roast, the largest single fundraising event for the ADA in California. He also serves on the board of the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation which provides education and training that allows inner city high schools to have certified medical staff at high school sporting events. Past appointments include serving on the George Washington University’s Council on American Politics and he was a board member of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He was also appointed to the Bipartisan California Commission on Internet Political Practices and the Los Angeles County Junior Golf Commission. Harvey is also a founder and former president of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Lobbyists & Public Affairs Association.
Cinthia Flores ’10
Cinthia Flores is a Board Member with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. Governor Newsom appointed her to this position in 2020. Cinthia formerly served as a staff attorney with the Coalition for Humane Immigration (CHIRLA), where she practiced immigration law with a focus on removal defense. Cinthia also has a background in labor law, having represented private and public sector unions. Additionally, Cinthia serves as Vice President of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, an organization dedicated to supporting Latinas in the legal profession. Cinthia also serves as Treasurer of the Latina Lead California, a political action committee dedicated to electing Latinas to local, state and federal office. Cinthia earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. During law school, Cinthia served on the University of California Board of Regents. In recognition of her academic record and commitment to public service, Cinthia was awarded numerous scholarships, including the California Bar Foundation Diversity Scholarship, the MABF Law School Scholarship, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund’s Earl Warren Scholarship and the prestigious Peggy Browning Fellowship. Cinthia earned her B.A. in Political Science at UCLA, where she served as the first Latina undergraduate student body president. Cinthia’s recent UCLA involvement includes participating in the UCLA Latino Alumni Association, First Gen Network, Los Angeles Downtown Network and Academic Advancement Program Network. Cinthia was born, raised and resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
Dean Florez '87
Service driven and politically connected, Dean Florez is the former California Senate Majority Leader. In addition to his service in the California State Senate, he served two terms in the California State Assembly. Currently, Dean serves on the state's climate change agency, the California Air Resources Board and has been an advocate for clean air since his time in the Legislature. Dean is the founder and CEO of Balance Public Relations, a full service strategic consulting firm that supports private and public clients where innovation and regulation intersect. He is one of the most sought after government relations professionals in California. He is a trusted advisor to key internal and external stakeholder groups ranging from executive teams and management, to C-suite executives, boards of directors, investors, and policymakers. Dean has advised Governors, U.S. Senators, and Mayors. In the past decade, Dean has served on many start-up Board of Directors with a focus on financial services companies providing services to underserved populations. He started politics early as the past UCLA Student Body President and past Academic Affairs Commissioner. He was Chairman of ASUCLA during his undergraduate career and was a vocal student advocate on social equity issues, diversity and university governance. Dean holds a bachelor's degree from UCLA and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Coretta Harris ’83
Working for both commercial and governmental entities, Coretta Harris leverages the ability to think from a systems perspective to execute systems development processes, ensuring stakeholder needs are satisfied. She is known for her effective systems engineering integration efforts through collaborative leadership and interpersonal skills, communicating fluidly with internal and external contacts at all levels. Key areas of strength are project management, architecture development, functional design, requirements development, requirements analysis, interface development, risk management, as well as requirements verification and validation.
A UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor, Coretta has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles including chair of the UCLA Alumni Association Awards Committee and president of the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering Alumni Association Governing Board. Currently, she is chair of the UCLA Gold Shield Alumnae Faculty Prize Committee and is a consultant to the dean at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, advising her on fundraising, student diversity and alumni engagement. A long-time volunteer for the Bunche Scholarship Screening Committee, Community College Transfer Scholarship Committee and at college fairs, she has established the Coretta Harris Alumni Scholarship Fund for incoming freshman and transfer students majoring in engineering and supports the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Women in Engineering Fund.
Matt Kaczmarek '05
Matt is head of sustainable investing and macro policy research for the global credit team at BlackRock, a leading investment management company. He is a member of the firm’s geopolitical risk steering committee and launched a groundbreaking racial justice initiative within the firm. Prior to joining BlackRock, Matt held senior appointments in the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, including as senior advisor to the Deputy National Security Advisor for international economic policy in the White House. He served in the international finance division of the U.S. Treasury Department contributing to the response to the global financial crisis and later as Secretary of State John Kerry’s White House liaison. He began his career as a public policy fellow to the State Treasurer of California. Matt teaches public policy analysis as adjunct assistant professor of public service at NYU’s Wagner School. He has managed or advised eight federal, state, and local candidate and issue campaigns, including as chief economic policy advisor to a leading presidential campaign in the 2020 cycle. Matt serves on the candidate endorsement board of the national LGBT Victory Fund and is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations. Matt received his BA from UCLA, where he served as Student Body External Vice President and President of the University of California Student Association, and MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he was editor-in-chief of the SAIS Review of International Affairs. Matt is a member of UCLA’s Chancellor’s Society, Lambda Alumni Association, and the New York and Washington DC Alumni Clubs. Connect with Matt on UCLA ONE.
Michelle Kim, J.D. ’02
Michelle Kim is an appointed judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court where she conducts court proceedings and presides over misdemeanor criminal cases, including pre-trial, jury trial and post-conviction matters. Previously, Michelle was a Los Angeles County Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender for 15 years, during which she handled a wide range of criminal cases, jury trials and supervised attorneys. Before attending UCLA School of Law, she was the data manager for the UCLA Women and Family Project, supervising a staff of researchers on a longitudinal study of women and HIV. Michelle also coordinated the statewide Asian Pacific Employment Discrimination Outreach Project at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles).
In addition to her diverse employment experience in the legal field, working for UCLA and at nonprofit organizations, Michelle is active in her community. She has extensive experience leading and serving on boards and committees as well as volunteering at a variety of local organizations including the Girl Scouts of America, Organization Chinese Americans-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team, Asian Pacific Community Fund, Los Angeles County Employees Asian American Association and Los Angeles County Management Council. Currently, Michelle is a Stanford University alumni volunteer interviewer and is a member of several lawyer associations. Michelle is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor.
Christine MacLaughlin ’83
Christine MacLaughlin is the chief marketing officer and vice president for IBM Global Financing, leading a marketing team that supports the world’s largest IT captive financier with a total asset base of $41 billion and clients in 39 countries. Using data-driven approaches and agile methodologies, she translates business strategies into effective marketing plans and develops support organizations and teams. Christine has worldwide business experience in advertising, strategic planning, marketing campaigns, distribution channels and field marketing. In her 20+ years at IBM she has held a number of marketing leadership positions in IBM Cloud Services, Global Business Partners, Global Markets and Corporate Marketing. In addition, she managed IBM’s worldwide Centennial Celebration program for clients, community partners and 400,000+ employees. Prior to joining IBM, she was a partner with Ogilvy & Mather where she developed brand-building advertising for global companies including American Express, IBM and Time Inc.
A UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor, Christine has been a member of the UCLA Prytanean Alumnae Network for 35 years and has served on the leadership board. While based in the Middle East, she was the UCLA Alumni Network contact in the United Arab Emirates and has participated in the “Dinner for 12 Strangers” program and “UCLA on the Road” events. While an undergraduate at UCLA, she was president of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and was selected for The Order of Omega, a National leadership honor society. Her other volunteer activities include serving as a pro-bono consultant with the IBM Executive Service Corps in South Africa where she focused on economic development, advisory board member for the Fishlinger Center for Public Policy at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York, fundraising committee chairman and a member of the New York Junior League, and mentor for the Student Sponsor Partners program in New York, helping high school students reach their highest potential through education.
Corey Matthews '10, MA '11
Corey is a nonprofit executive with more than a decade of experience designing, evaluating and leading community-based programs in a variety of social policy arenas. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Community Coalition - a permanent community-based institution in South Los Angeles - where he participates on the executive team to advance a robust policy agenda, direct operations, guide organization-wide strategic planning processes and launch key projects. Throughout his professional career, Corey has facilitated initiatives to serve underrepresented communities and has worked in think tanks, local government and nonprofits committed to changing systems and reducing poverty. He holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Urban Education from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. A native of South (Central) Los Angeles, Corey is committed to solving some of society’s most urgent issues.
Jaime Nack ’98, M.P.P. ’02
Jaime Nack is the president of Three Squares, Inc., a cutting-edge sustainability consulting firm specializing in developing comprehensive sustainability plans for corporate entities, government agencies and academic institutions. Nack is one of the nation’s most prominent environmental experts and has advised many Fortune 500 companies, cities, and large-scale events. Most notably, Nack served as the Director of Sustainability and Greening Operations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, marking the first time in history where measures were taken to reduce the environmental impact of the event on the host city. The greening effort was unprecedented in scale and has evolved into an industry case study for best practices in event greening, influencing the creation of event industry standards, like ISO 20121. Nack went on to implement sustainability plans for the 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions, as well as, many other high-profile events, including the ESPY Awards. Nack led TSI’s efforts to become the first firm in the U.S. to earn certification to ISO 20121. In 2018, Nack served as the Director of Sustainability for the Global Climate Action Summit – co-chaired by CA Governor Jerry Brown, Michael Bloomberg, UNFCCC’s Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, and Anand Mahindra. Nack was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She received an appointment under the Obama administration to serve on the National Women’s Business Council, an advisory council to the President, Congress and the SBA on economic issues of importance to women business owners. Nack speaks to audiences around the world about the business case for sustainability and its impact on the future of the global marketplace. She proudly serves as one of Vice President Al Gore’s presenters for The Climate Reality Project. Nack is a double Bruin, having earned her bachelor’s degree in international economics with a minor in public policy as well as a master’s degree in public policy from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. She currently serves as a member of Gold Shield Alumnae. Jaime is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Connect with Jaime on UCLA ONE.
Sahil Punamia ’13
Sahil Punamia recently moved to industry leader Netflix, after working as a senior manager at Discovery Communications where he helped lead the ~$15B integration of Scripps Networks (HGTV, Food Network), drove business planning efforts for direct-to-consumer products and provided strategic and analytical guidance to the company’s social media teams. Prior to Discovery, Sahil was a management consultant at L.E.K. Consulting where he served private equity and media clients. During his time at UCLA as an undergraduate student, Sahil and his peers founded Sigma Eta Pi, the West Coast’s first professional fraternity focused on the development of entrepreneurs whose members have been featured in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and have been backed by Y-Combinator and leading VC firms. The fraternity has since expanded from UCLA to USC, Cal, Stanford and now totals over 200 members. A cum laude graduate, Sahil also received the Chancellor’s Service Award for his leadership to the UCLA community. As an active alumnus, Sahil served on the board of directors for UCLA Young Alumni Professionals, a 1,000+ member organization that engages UCLA’s recent graduate population. He has also participated in UCLA’s Entertainment Network Night and was a guest lecturer at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, speaking about trends in the Film and Television industry. As a frequent keynote speaker for the UCLA Career Center and as a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, Sahil has a deep passion for helping college students and recent graduates with their leadership and career development journeys. Sahil received an economics degree and is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Connect with Sahil on UCLA ONE.
Paco Retana ’87, M.S.W. ’90
For nearly 30 years, Paco Retana has been serving the vulnerable youth and marginalized communities in Los Angeles. As a recognized mental health expert and vice president of programs at Wellnest (formerly Los Angeles Child Guidance Center), he is responsible for all clinical programs, including strategic planning, program evaluation and training in support of Wellnest’s mission to provide quality mental health services, promoting early intervention and ensuring easy access for a community in great need by initiating and implementing program changes to meet new funding streams for innovative prevention programs. Additionally, Paco has served as a consultant for numerous community organizations and educational institutions including First 5 LA, Watts Gang Task Force, Green Dot Public Schools and the Santa Ana Unified School District, providing professional development training, psychological and facilitation services, counseling, education and crisis intervention. Paco is the former co-chair of the Latino Underserved Cultural Communities for DMH, he is a former voting member of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) System Leadership Team, and former co-chair of the Service Area Advisory Committee for South Los Angeles. Paco serves on the UCLA Order of the Blue Shield and as a Luskin Senior Fellow. He is also a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Paco is the recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice and an Honoree of NAMI Urban Los Angeles. Paco earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master in social work from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Connect with Paco on UCLA ONE.
Matthew Saucedo ’11
Matt Saucedo leads an Entertainment Partnerships team at Facebook. In this role, he works with Facebook and Instagram’s top film, television, and public figure partners. Before joining Facebook, he was the co-founder and Head of Product for Pupster, and SVOD pet care company. Matt earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with Departmental and College Honors. While a student at UCLA, Matt was a member of the UCLA Fencing Team, which won the Southern California championship in his junior year. He was also a recipient of a Ralph Bunche Alumni Scholarship and actively participated in the Alumni Scholars Club. Matt is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Connect with Matthew on UCLA ONE.
Jenn Wells '07
Jenn received her B.A. from UCLA in 2007 in American Literature and Culture and a minor in Education studies. While at UCLA, Jenn was an Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant, and a student leader in the Student Alumni Association. Jenn went on to receive her M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from New York University and her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Change & Leadership at the University of Southern California. Her dissertation focuses on understanding the organizational influences on college chief diversity officers’ ability to impact institutional change. Jenn’s career in education administration focuses on student leadership with an emphasis on identity development and social justice education. Jenn developed a deep passion for the empowerment of girls, women, non-binary, transgender, and BIPOC students after her work at Mills College, Barnard College, and Scripps College. Her experience in higher education included emergency response, new student orientation, student support services, student government and organizations advising, residential life, and honors programs. Jenn served as a national leader in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) as a Communications Co-Chair for the Women in Student Affairs Knowledge Community and as a Co-Chair of the MultiRacial Knowledge Community. In the summer of 2020 Jenn transitioned away from higher education, and she currently works as the inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion for the Marlborough School, a 7th-12th grade independent girls’ school in Los Angeles. In this position, Jenn serves as a chief diversity officer and member of the school’s senior leadership team directing campus-wide leadership, programming, and initiatives aimed at supporting the School’s commitment to inclusion, equity, and accountability. In addition to her formal role at Marlborough, Jenn is an independent consultant providing diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops for higher education and non-profit organizations. Her workshops focus on implicit bias, racial justice, multiraciality, and gender/sexuality inclusion. As a national presenter at conferences such as NASPA and the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, Jenn’s presentations include topics such as surviving toxic workplace environments and multiracial identity in higher education. As an alum of UCLA, Jenn participated as a host for Dinner for 12 Strangers, attended events hosted by the Bay Area and NYC Alumni networks, and served as an Outreach Chair for the Lambda Alumni Association.
Steve Yu '95, MBA '03
Steve is the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Dean at the UCLA Law School overseeing a $100 million budget and 200+ staff. He received both his bachelors and MBA from UCLA. He is the current president of the UCLA Anderson of Management Alumni LA Chapter. He previously served as President of the Westside Bruins and served on the Board of Directors for ASUCLA. Steve was also awarded the UCLA Alumni of the Year Award in 2017. Steve is a professional public speaker, and has presented to Navy Seals, doctors, business leaders and students at UCLA, USC, Cal State universities, Skechers and multiple non-profits. He MC’d a TEDxUCLA event and was featured in the Toastmasters Magazine for his mentoring work at UCLA. Steve is a co-investor in three Bruin-owned ventures including the Peace & Plenty Resort in the Bahamas, a family-owned cherry farm in Central California, and in a tech startup BUENA LIFE. Steve believes in three core principles of (1) always having a student mentality, (2) continual progress, and (3) paying it forward.
Diana Zschaschel ’92, D.D.S. ’97, Cert. ’99, M.D.E. Cert. ’04
Dr. Diana Zschaschel started her practice in 1999, incorporating her skills in behavioral therapy and hospital dentistry into her private practice. After dental school, she took a position with Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization, providing dental care for the children of migrant workers in Northern California. Diana started Angels’ Smiles with the vision to bring optimum dental and overall quality healthcare to persons with disabilities. She has served on the medical board of directors for the PACE/Headstart program of Los Angeles. In 2001, Diana joined the Army Reserves to assist soldiers and travel for humanitarian missions around the world. In 2004, she was deployed to treat soldiers going to and returning from Iraq. She served as Battalion Commander for the 7452nd Medical Backfill Battalion in San Diego, where she was responsible for five medical, dental and veterinary companies comprising nearly 600 soldiers. She was Dental Consultant to ARMEDCOM division and currently is a Colonel and commander for the 185th Dental Company Area Support in Orange County, where she is responsible for 150 dentists and dental auxiliaries. For many years, Diana served as an Ambassador for the LA area Chamber of Commerce, which named her Volunteer of the Year. In 2007, she received Local Hero of the Year from Union Bank and was featured on KCET’s Hispanic Heritage Month. Diana received the Distinguished Alumna of the Year for Service by Chaminade College Preparatory.At UCLA and St. Vincent’s hospital she worked with medical anesthesiologists to treat severely disabled individuals, enabling them to receive quality dental care. While attending UCLA, she became a behavioral specialist for autistic children and continued to work as a therapist for several years while completing dental school. Following opportunities provided by the UCLA School of Dentistry to work with persons with disabilities, with the help of professors and classmates, Diana started a grassroots campaign with the statewide Special Olympics to provide oral screenings for the athletes. Among other awards, Diana received the Biotene Award for Excellence after completing oral exams of over 300 persons with developmental disabilities for a UCLA Public Health study. Diana is currently involved with the Prytanean Alumnae Association and has been a lecturer at the UCLA School of Dentistry general practice Residency program.
Yolanda Gorman ’78, M.B.A. ’83, Ph.D. ’93
Ex-Officio, Chancellor's Designee
Rhea Turteltaub
Ex-Officio, Vice Chancellor External Affairs
Rhea Turteltaub is the UCLA Vice Chancellor, External Affairs. Appointed in March 2008, she oversees one of the nation’s leading advancement organizations, a diverse and integrated department of over 600 staff comprised of Development, Alumni Affairs, Government & Community Relations, Advancement Services, the UCLA Alumni Association, and the UCLA Foundation. Rhea led The Centennial Campaign for UCLA – which surpassed its $4.2 billion goal 18 months ahead of schedule. The campaign launched publicly in May, 2014 and concluded in December, 2019, right in the midst of UCLA’s 100th anniversary commemoration. During the initiative, nearly 220,000 donors from all 50 states and 98 additional countries contributed more than 574,000 gifts, advancing causes across campus, in communities throughout Southern California, across the nation and around the world. The Centennial Campaign raised a total of $5.49 billion for UCLA, helping to shepherd another century of groundbreaking achievements in teaching, research, and service. Prior to her arrival at UCLA in 1994, Rhea held leadership roles at Otis College of Art and Design and The University of Chicago, as well as campaign positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and her alma mater, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees.
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